Saturday, January 31, 2015

Demi Lovato is New York Color's first ever brand ambassador. From Camp Rock to Glee, I love how she's developed from a fresh-faced Disney character into total bad-ass. Even in the make-up department, she experiments with bold lipsticks, bright eyeshadows, and wacky hair dyes.

This month, I'm channeling a little Demi. Not to the full extent of her bad-assery but I'm a light, neutrals kinda girl and dark makeup with eyeliner all the way around my eyes is NOT my thing. So, this, if anything, is a step outside my comfort zone.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Winter has taken its toll on my hair and it ain't pretty. It's static-y, which gives my hair a fatal attraction... to the sides of my face, not to mention a bit dull, as well. Enter the Aveeno Positively Nourishing Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner ($4-$6 each). A shampoo that is clinically proven to leave hair stronger, softer and with a healthy shine in just three washes with its Nourishing Wheat Complex plus Hydrating Oat Protein - sounds perfect for my hair's needs, right?

When I looked at the "claims" of Aveeno's Positively Nourishing Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner, I was kind of impressed. (1) 92% of women's hair looked healthier and showed improvement in manageability (2) 92% of women felt their hair was more moisturized and (3) 85% of women's hair showed improvement in softness.

And so...even before squeezing the shampoo into my hands, the bar was set high. So how did it fare...?

I commend the ladies that can pull of matte lipsticks in the winter. But seriously, HOW? Aren't your lips ridden with dry patches and other ickies? On cold days, I opt for something more moisturizing like the Tata Harper Be Adored Lip Treatment ($28).

Tata Harper is brand that produces 100% natural and 100% non-toxic packed with active ingredients. Dubbed the "world's most advanced natural skincare technology", Tata Harper's skincare products are known to be the most effective natural options on the market. The Tata Harper Be Adored Lip Treatment is free of gluten, GMO, fillers, artificial fragrances, and synthetics. A few of the "natural" ingredients include olive oil, green tea, apricot oil, acai, avocado oil, elderberry extract, date extract, alfalfa and lavender to name a few.

On top of my regular makeup, I added a few very subtle hints of colour. I ran several coats of a blue mascara through my lashes and brows to build colour. On the lips, I applied a baby pink lip gloss and then patted a baby blue lip gloss to create a matte light purple.

Blue brows and lilac lips aren't really appropriate for the workplace but a nice detour from the neutral blahs.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Previously reviewed was the New York Color Expert Last Lipstick ($1.99) in Purple Crush. There Expert Last Lipstick line includes 20 shades in the line, so here's a brief overview of three more - 442 Berry Me, 432 Red Rapture, and 444 Chocolate Chip.

The New York Color Expert Last Lipsticks claim to be moisturizing, comfortable and long wearing up to 6 hours.

The Good: There's no doubt that these are pretty colours - they're slightly shiny, not fully opaque and two layers is required for the level that I've swatched them on my lips (see below). Initially, with Purple crush, I had thought them to be one-coat-wonders, but I find that these shades need a bit more product for richer colour. They are comfortable on the lips and to wear up to 4 hours

The Bad: Due to the sheeny finish, these are not particularly long-wearing. After four hours on the lips, they start to make my lips feel dry and the colour becomes patchy, rather than wearing off evenly. Also, they have a prominent sweet vanilla scent smell of which I am not particularly a fan

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

This foundation review has been a long time coming. I wanted to test out the true "skintone matching" abilities of the Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup in 200 Light/Medium ($16.99) in multiple seasons (mainly winter and summer).

Monday, January 26, 2015

Now that I've got my hands on a few more of the CoverGirl Lipslicks Smoochies Lip Balms (~$4) , it's only fair that I give the other shades a mention, as their a bit different from the last two I've tried. See the original reviews of #Smooch and #Sweet Tweet from way back when (2013).

Pictured above are 220 #Text Me,265 #Smooch, 260 #Be Sweet and 255 #Sweet Tweet. These are 4 of 12 shades in the range. The others are CU L8R, 2 CUTE, LUV U, TRU LUV, ONLY U, LUV BUG, and B4N. My thoughts on the names and packaging haven't changed. In an attempt to be young and hip, CoverGirl just ends up sounding a little ridiculous.

With the entrance of nail art (studs, ombre rainbows, and cartoon characters), the French manicure is quickly being phased out of nail routines. But if you're not into the nail art craze and like to keep it simple, Guerlain just launched the it's La Lacque Couleur in 368 Baby Rose ($27) with its Spring 2015 Colour Collection Les Tendres .

Friday, January 23, 2015

The past few days on the blog has been in the lap of luxury. Guerlain's Les Tendres Spring Colour Collection 2015 arrives in Guerlain Boutiques & Institus and Guerlain counters as of January 15th, 2015 and is truly a sight to be seen. The collection looks to fight against the winter blahs with radiance and glow.

Below are the items in the collection, as well as links to reviews for 5 of the 6 products.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Guerlain Perles De Blush in Angelic Radiance ($58) is almost too pretty to use. I think I've fallen in love with the vintage cardboard packaging. It's not as heavy or luxe as that of the Guerlain Meteorite Compact but it's equally as beautiful and isn't as prone to getting finger prints all over it.

Blending the three coloured pearls together with blush brush results in a soft pink glow. There is some subtle shimmer that is unnoticeable when applied. I prefer not to use the provided powder puff, as it covers too large of a surface area on my face. The product is seemingly powdery in the packaging but blends smoothly onto the skin.

Similar to some of my favourite blushes, the Guerlain Meteorites Perles De Blush in Angelic Radiance gives an in from the coldI'm wearing blush but it looks sort of natural kind of rosy glow that works well on all kinds of people. While I don't think that the colour is unique, the glow of the pearls adds a little something special that makes this product a nice-to-have.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Well, here's something unique. It's a mascara that appears black but has a subtle blue shine. It is the Guerlain Cils D'enfer Volume Creating Curl Sculpting Mascara in 04 Marine ($34) which is part of Guerlain's Spring Colour Collection 2015 (available in Guerlain Boutiques & Instituts and Guerlain counters as of January 15th, 2015).

The Cils D'enfer Volume Creating Curl Sculpting Mascara that was previously available in Noir (black), Violet (purple) and Moka (brown) is now available in Marine (blue). The Cils D'enfer Volume Creating Curl Sculpting Mascara is meant to dress up, intensify and enhance the eyes...ensures breathtaking volume, curl and hold.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

I think I have a new favourite faux-gel nail polish (others include the Sally Hansen and CND Vinylux versions). Lately I've been loving the Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel in 500 Ace of Spades ($7.99). It's a dark slate blue with an almost unnoticeable hint of sparkle.

I'm not typically a wearer of dark nail polish but the added shine from the Revlon Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat makes the polish incredibly glossy (and who doesn't love a glossy polish). It applies flawlessly - slightly thicker than the Sally Hansen Miracle Gels but with less drying time. Revlon claims this polish lasts up to 11 days without chipping. Indeed, 'tis true. Not that I'd ever wear my polish for that long, but if I get lazy I can count on this polish to continue to look flawless without a worry.

Also, it's super easy to remove. No need for acetone soaks, my regular old non-acetone nail polish remover from Quo on a cotton pad is all that's needed.

All in all, Ace of Spades is an amazing fall polish - deep, dark and mysterious with a little shimmer. For some added awesomeness, I like to place a few simple studs from the Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Set. There's 30 other shades in the Gel Envy Nail Enamel range and I can't wait to check out more colours.

Monday, January 19, 2015

On the hunt for simple yet work-appropriate nail art, I've turned to the runway for mani ideas that are neutral with a pop of something special. Inspired by the designs of Stella McCartney, Sally Hansen's Global Color Ambassador Madeline Poole created three exclusive nail looks inspired by the New York presentation.

The original design by Madeline Poole is a three tiered metallic half moon mani with 4 simple steps. (1) a white base (2) gold on 1/3 of the nail (3) black atop 2/3 of the gold (4) silver atop 1/2 the black. I'm too lazy to perfect curves on my nails, so I opted for straight lines across the nail. Obviously, Madeline Poole used Sally Hansen polishes. I stuck with the polishes I had on hand.

Photo courtesy of Sally Hansen

Products Used by Madeline Poole: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Let It Snow, Gilty Party, Pat on the Black and Diamond Jubilee

The Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner in 810 Medium Brown ($9.99) is a new launch from CoverGirl. If you've been a long-time reader (or have seen me in person) then you'll also know that I'm a total noob when it comes to eyebrows. "Filling in" my brows yields furry caterpillar-like results. However, I'm always in the mood to try brow products, as I'm interested in how they'll turn out for me. I figured if the CoverGirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow and Liner didn't work out well for my brows, I could still use it as an eyeliner.

I think I'm obsessed. What's not to love about coloured mascara? The brush is pretty standard, straight with natural bristles. Other than the colour, what's different about the Hard Candy 1000 Lashes is the formula. If you look very, very closely at the wand, there's thousands of tiny little hairs. The tiny fibers make for very volumized lashes.

I used the Hard Candy 1000 Lashes in Indigo Blue atop the CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara for some extra volume and colour. It's ridiculous how vibrant and voluminous the blue looks on my naturally sparse lashes.

Under my standard mascara evaluation it does pretty well. --> Does it lengthen? Yes. Does it volumize? Definitely. Does it clump? No. Does it smudge? No. Does it droop? No.

If you're in the market for a coloured mascara, I would 1000% recommend the Hard Candy Fiberized Mascara. Given the performance of Indigo Blue, I'd love to eventually try the regular, old black colour.

Friday, January 16, 2015

The Guerlain Meteorites Compact Light Revealing Powder ($71) in Mythic is Geurlain's Meteorite Pearls in a pressed powder format. I don't own the original Guerlain Meteorites so I can't say if it compares. The premise of both products is the same - the blending of corrective and enhancing colours to catch the light into soft-focus on the face.

The compact comes with a black suede pouch (not shown) and the powder is encased in a heavy metal package embossed with Guerlain. It's beautiful for any woman's vanity but very prone to picking up fingerprints. Inevitably, the compact is much more travel friendly than the jar of pearls. The Guerlain Meteorites Compact is available in one shade for all skintones as it is a light powder that appears translucent when applied to the skin.

As previously mentioned, the Meteorites compact contains 6 different corrective and enhancing shades:

pink // to refresh the complexion

green // to diminish redness

white // for a brighter complexion

mauve // to catch the light

gold and pearl // to add a perfect touch of radiance

It was impossible to pick up each of these colours individually. Blended together, the colours yield an iridescent golden-pearl glow with a touch of shimmer.

Guerlain Meteorites Compact applied on nose, cheekbones, and chin

On the face, it's undetectable. Only with a 10x magnifying mirror would you be able to see traces of shimmer particles. Other than that, it adds what Guerlain refers to as an invisible beam of UV rays for soft-focus perfecting light. The product wears like a setting powder without making the face matte and simply adding a very, very subtle light-catching glow to the skin. The effect is lesser than that of a traditional highlighter and quite similar to that of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders.

All in all, I'm on the fence about the subtle glow of the Guerlain Meteorites Compact in Mythic. It's beautiful, as is the packaging, but I'm still a little confused about it's merits as a setting powder and/or highlighter.

Have you ever tried Guerlain's Meteorites Pearls? Would you try it in compact form?

Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Glosses contain ingredients that you'd find in an actual fruit smoothie - coconut, mango, and strawberry. nom nom nom. Bite Beauty makes lip colours that are "good enough to eat." The allure of a healthy-for-you lip product is highly attractive, so I purchased a set of 3 minis (Rambutan, Currant, Strawberry) on Black Friday for $12 CAD. An individual full size gloss will set you back $25.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Correct me if I'm wrong, every woman's dream is to have skin as soft as a baby's bottom. In it's Spring Colour Collection 2015, Guerlain has released a sheer foundation that looks to provide users with plumped, glowing baby skin. The Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Makeup ($60, available January 15th, 2015) is a foundation that contains the iconic Guerlain Meteorites but melted into a liquid that transforms light that is invisible to the naked eye into a endless glow on the skin.

The Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Makeup has 6 claims:

light-revealing

unifying

smoothing

refreshing

replenishing

youth-protective

Now is the perfect time to test out foundations, as my skin isn't in its best shape. The foundation does, in fact ,make my skin look smooth, refreshed and replenished. Perhaps it isn't comparable to that of a baby's bottom, but it comes pretty darn close. I would agree with all 6 of the claims, as the appearance of the makeup is very flattering. It's definitely glowy but not by any means dewy or oily-looking.

In addition to the 6 claims, there is a perfume-like scent that I find to be quite pleasant and wears away after the foundation is blended in. The texture of the foundation is quite thin and liquid, and blends and sets quickly on the skin. The foundation has medium, buildable coverage (the word sheer is deceiving) that is a natural satin matte. The Baby Glow lasts for an impressive 8-9 hours with a light dusting of powder.

The Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Light-revealing Sheer Makeup is available in 3 "fresh and rosy-beige" shades to match with the 3 shades of the iconic Guerlain Meteorites - 2 Light, 3 Medium, and 4 Golden. In general, this is not an impressive range of colours for women of all colours but better suited to those with light to medium skintones. Swatched above are 2 Light and 3 Medium. For my current skintone, 2 Light is a tad too pale while 3 Medium is slightly too tan. A pump of each yields a shade match optimal for my winter skin.

All in all, I'm above and beyond impressed by the Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Makeup. It's not at all sheer but it does provide the type of coverage and natural finish that I love for everyday wear.

What do you think of the Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Sheer Makeup? Do you want baby skin?

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Peelable polish isn't just for kids. The light blue of the Hello Kitty Peelable Polish left me wanting more - more colour, more staying power and more opacity. The Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish in Mulberry ($8.99) offers all that and more.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Eyeliner Monday! I swear I could keep on going with these forever. I have a gazillion eyeliners. This week's eyeliner feature is the Annabelle Retractable Eyeliner ($9.95), which Annabelle claims has rich intense colour and creamy texture that glides easily. Waterproof and long-lasing formula. 12 h wear.

The Annabelle Retractable Eyeliners are available in 6 shades - Chocochip, Insomnia, Jet Black, Peacock, Twilighting and Bronze Age. As the name states, these eyeliners are fully retractable. Packaging is even more on point with the addition of a pop-off sharpener at the bottom of the pencil.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

From the Canadian Beauty Bloggers Secret Santa, I received the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) After Dark Test Tube x 4 Set ($24) containing 4 of OCC's Stained Glosses in Hedonist, New Wave, Jealous and Little Black Dress. Santa got me something right off my wishlist, as I've been meaning to try something from the uber-hyped OCC. The set of 4 minis is currently on the Sephora website for $12 (HERE) and a full-size of the OCC Stained Gloss is $22 (available in 11 shades).

I quite enjoy the hygienic tube packaging of the OCC lip tars and stained glosses, with it's only downfall being that they don't stand up straight. The brush, on the other hand, is not of the highest quality but necessary as the Stained Glosses require some sort of applicator (unless you want to risk having a big, glossy mess!)

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